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Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

Our $27,000 Vacation to the Maldives for ~$4,300 & How You Can Do It Too: Part 9 – Breakfast Options at the Conrad Maldives

January 6, 2015
by
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We heard that the Maldives Islands rivaled the beauty and splendor of Bora Bora, so we planned a trip to decide for ourselves!

The Maldives is known for its luxury resorts, and most resorts have their own private island. There are beautiful white sand beaches and crystal clear blue water. The islands also have fantastic snorkeling and scuba diving!

We booked 5 nights using Hilton points at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island. The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is a 30-minute seaplane ride from Male, the capital of the Maldives. We booked this trip to make the most of our Hilton points before the Hilton devaluation last year.

A Lovely Breakfast by the Beach

Our $27,000 Vacation to the Maldives for ~$4,300 & How You Can Do It Too Index:

The Maldives are located in the Indian Ocean, just south of India. Getting to the Maldives is a long journey, but the trip is definitely worth it! Daraius and I have been to many beach destinations such as Bora Bora, Maui, and Kauai on miles and points, but the Maldives tops them all!

Traveling to the Maldives is also very expensive, but you can do it for much less than the retail cost! This trip would have cost us ~$27,000, but we only paid ~$4,300!! These series of posts will show you how you can also take a trip to the Maldives on miles and points!

Eating at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island

Food is very expensive in the Maldives. To save money, you can try to eat 2 big meals a day. You can also bring your own food, but be aware of weight limits. The seaplane airfare includes strict weight limits and you will be charged extra if you are over the weight limits.

If you want to save money on breakfast, I’d suggest packing some granola bars, dried fruit, and nuts. The food is very expensive in the hotel, averaging $30 a dish for a basic meal, such as a sandwich or hamburger. And the portions are also a bit small, which makes sharing difficult

The easiest way to earn Hilton Gold status is by signing-up for the Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve Card, which gives you Hilton Gold Status for as long as you have the card. This is a valuable benefit if you stay in lots of hotels. If we had to pay for breakfast each day at the Conrad Maldives, it would have cost us hundreds of dollars.

Vilu Lounge

For breakfast our 1st day, we met at the Vilu Lounge, which is located on the smaller, more residential island. It’s in a beautiful location right by the beach. Breakfast here is pricey, but we didn’t have to pay because we were Hilton Diamond members.

The Vilu Lounge Has Menu Service and a Small Buffet

We were so lucky to be sharing a meal together in such a beautiful place!

Atoll Market offers a HUGE buffet. The buffet usually costs $100 per person, but it was free for us because we have Hilton Diamond status.You also get free breakfast with Hilton Gold status, which you can get with the Citi Hilton Reserve card.

It was almost too big for me, and I preferred Vilu Lounge because my food was made to order and I felt safer with my fish allergy. Almost everyone else preferred the buffet though because of its large selection of all kinds of food!

There was so much food that I felt like I was in a large Las Vegas style resort.

There was freshly cut fruit…

The Food Seemed to Never End!

…including watermelon, figs, and apples.

You Could Also Try Star Fruit at the Atoll Market Buffet

Whole fruit…

Apples, Bananas, and Oranges…Oh My!

There was fresh juice of your choice…

Fresh Juice Made to Order!

You could choose the following fruits and vegetables:

Make Juice With 6 Fruits and Vegetables

I was excited to try my apple and carrot mixture!

Apple and Carrot Juice? Yes, Please!

Also on the buffet were hot foods.

There’s No Shortage of Hot Foods on This Buffet

The hot food selection was expansive.

Wait…Am I in Las Vegas??

There was a wide selection of hot food from different Asian countries.

You Could Choose From Chinese, Japanese, and Indian Foods

There was also fish.

The Large Selection of Sides and Garnishes to Go With the Fish Included Wasabi, Ginger, and Soy Sauce

Eggs and sausage…

You Could Also Have a Traditional American Breakfast

mushrooms, baked beans, and bacon…

Warm Side Dishes

hashbrowns, pancakes, and waffles….

Load Up on Carbs for a Long Day of Fun in the Sun

and an omelet station.

Ask for a Made-to-Order Omelette

The pastries looked divine…

I Was in Heaven With all the Pastries!

I couldn’t wait to try a few!

Which One to Choose…?

The buttery, flaky croissants were especially good.

I Never Pass up a Good Croissant!

Next to the pastries, there was cereal.

There Was a Lot of Cereal for Kids and Adults Alike

Yogurt…

Grab a Yogurt If You’re on the Go

…butter, Nutella, and peanut butter…

Even in the Maldives, You Can Get Your Peanut Butter and Nutella Fix

…and fresh bread.

Bread to Go With Your Spread

There was cheese….

Pass the Cheese Please

…that looked very good!

I’ll Try a Little of Everything!

There were sliced meats…

A Skimpy Sliced Meats Selection

and sushi…

I’m Going to Just Slowly Back Away From All This Fish!

You could get local tuna salad……

There Were Also Maldivian Breakfast Options

…and make your own salad.

Eat Healthy and Have a Salad

You could choose from lots of ingredients.

You Could Make a Good Salad With Their Selection of Fresh Vegetables

There was such a big selection that it was difficult to decide what to eat!

Is There Really More Food?!

There was also honey…

Does Honey Get Much Fresher Than This?

Daraius loaded up on Asian food…

Daraius Loves Asian Food…the Spicier the Better!

…while I ate packaged foods to avoid a possible allergic reaction. I’m sure I could have asked the chef to prepare something separate for me, but I was perfectly happy with my croissants and yogurt (and peanut butter and Nutella!!).

Don’t Worry, I’m Getting Seconds

How You Can Do It Too!

If you’re willing to book separate award tickets (i.e. 1 award ticket from the US to Hong Kong & another from Hong Kong to the Maldives), you could even fly on Cathay Pacific or Malaysia Air using American Airlines miles to the Maldives.

You can use American Airlines to fly many different ways to the Maldives, including on Etihad, Sri Lankan, Qatar, Cathay Pacific and Malaysia Airways. If you want to book on Etihad, first find the available flights on the Etihad website and then call American Airlines to reserve the tickets. See this step-by-step guide for more information.

You can book Emirates flights on the Alaska Air website, except for Cathay Pacific, which has to be reserved by calling Alaska Airlines customer service. See this post for more ways on using Alaska Air miles to get to the Maldives.

Bottom Line

The Vilu Lounge had excellent made to order dishes. There wasn’t much of a buffet, but I liked that it was a smaller, more private setting. Also it was closer to the beach. Everyone else preferred the Atoll Market because of the huge selection.

Breakfast at the Maldives is NOT cheap and you could pay $100 per person each day! But if you have Hilton Gold or Diamond status, breakfast is free! If you don’t have Hilton Gold status, you can get it by signing-up for the Citi Hilton Reserve card.

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

6comments

@Scott: We spent two weeks in KL (10k hilton points a night at the doubletree, which was pretty nice) and the weather was great. There was some minor flooding in some parts of the city on Christmas but nothing around us. It was sunny and about 80 degrees most days. But it was pretty humid.

@Matt: Thanks for sharing that great tip. I hadn’t noticed that sweet spot on U.S.’s award chart, and will keep it in mind since I’ll be in S.E. Asia beginning at the end of this month (apropos of which, how’s the weather in K.L. right now? Wondering whether the monsoons that have been flooding N. Malaysia are impacting things in the capital). I’m not sure I’d want to contend with that $500 sea plane expense on this trip, but the Maldives are a place of interest, and I gather I’d have to act on this before Dividend Miles convert into AAdvantage Miles in 2Q.

And as for that $100 buffet breakfast, that’s purely insane. Even Bally’s Sterling Brunch in Las Vegas is only $85 per person, and that features prime rib, crab, lobster, caviar and champagne. Thank God I have HHonors Gold awhile yet.

This Maldives stuff got old after the 1st posting. How many pictures of buffets and you guys lounging on the beach can one be expected to look at. I’d suggest focusing on the meat of the matters and less on what Jack and Jill did on their vacations. Sure, throw a shot of either of you into a post here or there, but your advice blog is beginning to look more and more like a travel blog set up for yourselves and relatives. I have gained some valuable insights from your blog in the past year, but I spend a lot of time scrolling past the unending photos. Really, one column on the Maldives with two or three photos would have been enough.

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)